Dotsero

To the Ute Indians, Dotsero is "something unique." To the residents of a small historic town in the Colorado mountains, Dotsero is home. But to jazz enthusiasts, Dotsero is something hot, really hot.

Jumpin' Thru Hoops (9/22/98) is the fifth project in a progressive collection of Dotsero music and a groundbreaking recording that has set the stage to be the most successful yet.

This five piece ensemble, fueled by the talents of Stephen Watts (saxophones/wind synths), Michael Friedman (bass) and David Watts (guitar) first broke onto the national music scene with its 1990 release Off the Beaten Path. They followed with the critically acclaimed, and chart-topping Jubilee in 1991. Dotsero enjoyed widespread national airplay with Jubilee, as the release spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Radio and Records charts, was No.1 on the Gavin Report's Adult Alternative chart and spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz chart. In 1994, Dotsero released Out of Hand, the long-awaited follow-up to Jubilee. In addition to cracking the Top 10 on Gavin's A2 Adult Alternative chart and the top 25 on the Radio and Records charts, Out of Hand received rave reviews from a variety of jazz critics and radio programmers across the nation. Essensual continued the momentum in 1996 as a Top 20 radio hit. Dotsero's current Ichiban International album, Jumpin' Thru Hoops, is co-written and co-produced by the three core members along with longtime cohorts Tom Capek and Kip Kuepper.

The Dotsero sound is strong blend of rock, fusion, light funk, soulful melodies and wild improvisation that allows the band to move into a number of musical veins. Often featuring the tenor and soprano sax stylings of Stephen Watts, Dotsero has nailed a groove that has been labeled "hummable" by many and enjoyed by all. The group's music reflects the styles and tastes of each of the three leaders. Stephen, Michael and David all approach their music from different perspectives. It is their ability to blend three distinctly different styles into one powerful sound that has moved them into the forefront of the contemporary jazz world.

Art Good, legendary jazz critic and producer of the nationally syndicated Jazz Trax says, "They are inspired on several different levels -- I've long liked their diverse abilities to be soulful or let loose and really juice it up."

On stage, Dotsero lives up to the "something unique" name taken from the Ute Indians. Reviewers from coast to coast have praised their tight, high energy, "never look back" shows. Over the years, the band has performed with a number of leading jazz acts, including Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour, Wynton Marsalis, David Benoit, the Yellowjackets, Joe Sample, Richard Elliott, Nancy Wilson, David Sanborn, Rippingtons, Norman Brown and Acoustic Alchemy.

"We always try to draw the audience in with fun," says Stephen Watts. "We strive for a performance that is visually enjoyable. From a personality standpoint, we want people to think, 'These are guys we'd like to have a beer with.''

In a Los Angeles Times feature on the band, Bill Kohlhaase wrote, "Whatever the origins of its name, Dotsero, has carved out something unique of its own -- a sound that combines accessible rhythms, hummable melodies and cut-loose improvisations that fit perfectly."

While there are many sources from which Dotsero can and does draw, one thing remains certain -- the Ute Indians were right, Dotsero is something unique.